Ministry of Defense: Militants continue using proscribed weapons in all three sectors

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The situation in the ATO zone remains tense. Fire intensity reduced compared to the day before. “Nevertheless, militants continued using mortar in all three sectors,” reported Ukrainan Ministry of Defense spokesman on ATO Colonel Andriy Lysenko at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. In total, militants conducted 12, 14 and 28 attacks in Luhansk, Donetsk and Mariupol sector correspondingly, and three, six and four of them involved mortars respectively.

One Ukrainian serviceman was killed in action yesterday and seven were wounded. “The most severe losses were incurred in Katerynivka where one soldier was killed by militants’ shelling and two were wounded. Two servicemen hit an explosive device near Krymske. Three soldiers were wounded in militants’ shelling near Avdiivka, in Mariinka and Vodiane,” said the spokesman.

In Luhansk sector militants conducted three attacks with grenade launchers in Stanytsia Luhanska district in the evening – two in Stanytsia Luhanska and one in Valuiske. The situation was relatively calm in Novyi Aidar district. Russia-backed militants violated ceasefire twice in Krymske and Lobacheve. The enemy repeatedly opened fire in Katerynivka – Troitske frontline, mostly in the afternoon. “The situation was the most restless in Katerynivka where Russian proxies fired about 25 mortar rounds. Two more provocations involving mortars took place in Novozvanivka and Troitske,” said Col. Lysenko.

Militants conducted a provocation involving machine guns at Svitlodarsk area in Donetsk sector. In the Horlivka perimeter Russian proxies were shelling Zaitseve in the evening and at night, and Maiorsk in the morning. “The enemy conducted brief mortar attack at Verkhniotoretske in the afternoon,” added Col. Lysenko.

Near Avdiivka Russia-backed militants opened fire five times, using mortars three times. Hostilities near Kamianka started after 17:00 and continued for almost five hours. In the evening militants conducted a brief provocation involving mortars in Opytne, and later attacked Pisky with machine guns.

In Mariupol sector five episodes of militants’ snipers working were registered. Russian proxies were repeatedly firing from small arms and grenade launchers at Maryinka during the day and in the evening. Another attack took place in Krasnohorivka, two more took place in Novohryhorivka and Bohdanivka. “Numerous brief provocations involving light weapons took place in Pavlopil–Shyrokyne frontline. Two mortar attacks were recorded in Vodiane, and two more in Hnutove and Shyrokyne. Hostilities continued day and night,” said Col. Lysenko.

Report on the military developments as of April 30 is available here. Interactive data on the shelling: chronology shelling chart and the interactive map.